Take It Easy
by Alixier
Summary: in a Decepticon ruled world, Bumblebee finally accepts his position. /edit Optimus remembers when he finally broke.
1. Bumblebee

**Take it easy**

"Run!" he barked at himself silently, "run! Don't let him catch me!"

The teen's blonde hair flew around his face, partially obscuring his vision, and leaving him a little more vulnerable than he liked.

"Primus, don't let him catch me!" his panicked thoughts echoed and repeated, distracting him to failure.

Primus must not have been in a very kind mood when that prayer was sent, as the small, rather frail teen tripped on a miniscule pebble, and landing in a puddle, covering himself in mud. His hoodie was probably ruined; the yellow cloth stained with mud, and- was that his blood? He had a few cuts on his hands that he was staring at pathetically. A Decepticon would refuse to hurt him, but tripping made him bleed all over?

After a few seconds of confused contemplation, he got up, and had nearly launched into a sprint, when a big hand caught the scruff of his hoodie. Bumblebee flailed around, attempting to escape the grasp, even as he made it worse in his panic.

The adrenaline and panic surged as he freefell to the ground, having been lifted pretty high off the ground. The hand grabbed the front of his hoodie now, covering the pale skin of his attacker in mud. Bumblebee was lifted from the ground again, and slammed against the alley wall, near his pursuer's full strength.

Bumblebee couldn't catch a breath, and his pulse was painfully uneven. He hurt all over from lack of enough oxygen. The adrenaline was wearing off, and all of that added up to him being completely exhausted, his struggles weakening quickly.

His attacker finally spoke.

"Oh, my poor pet…" the voice was deceptively kind and loving. " I really did not want to do this. If you'd just take it easy, I wouldn't have to, and everyone would be happier."

"Not…" Bumblebee gasped for air, "a pet… ever."

"Ohh, pet." The low voice vibrated the air between them, and echoed in Bumblebee's chest quietly, making the smaller one's heart race a little quicker than he liked.

"Haven't you figured it out yet? The Decepticons have _won_. Autobots, like you, are _our_ _pets_, or dead. Even the 'great' Optimus Prime had fallen under my lord Megatron's care." Barricade gently brushed his pet's muddy hair back.

Bumblebee just whimpered: he hadn't known that. But that evil Decepticon had to be lying! Optimus would never fall!

Barricade let his pet down onto his feet and led him out of the alley. He was surprised to see a certain master and pet pair walking docilely (the pet, at least, its master was happily chewing out some idiot who had bumped into him.), but it was perfect timing to finally break his pet.

"Look, Bee, see him? That's your great Autobot leader, Optimus Prime. He has fallen to pet status, and he has done so surprisingly gracefully, I'm told. Look how he obeys his master's commands so readily. Doesn't he look so much happier? Look at you, covered in filth, because you disobeyed and ran away." Barricade snarled softly, his hot breath playing at the skin on Bumblebee's neck.

"Perhaps another week in solitary could convince you?" he purred.

"No, oh, Primus, please no!" Bumblebee burst out in pathetic sobs. His restraint had broken, and he grabbed at Barricade's leather police jacket in a desperate attempt to convince the Decepticon.

Barricade was a little bit surprised to see how effective that mild threat had been, and yet, not so surprising, considering the little Bot's previous experience with a week of solitary had turned into a month because of his bad behavior.

"Come, pet. Let's go home. And if you can convince me that you'll behave from now on, I don't think solitary will be necessary for a while.

Several Autobots threw the wreck of a mech pet pitying looks. They had been like that at one point, and it was almost comforting that they weren't the only ones. They were shocked that the youngest would be the one to outlast them in denial, though. Most of them thought that he would be the first to break, and instead, only Ratchet and Prowl had yet to break, and not from lack of trying.

Barricade let go of his pet warily for brief moment to unlock the door. He need not have worried about him running off, as he was too preoccupied with keeping a grip on Barricade's leather jacket.

"Go take a shower. You're a mess. Come straight to the bedroom once you're done. I'll bring you clean clothes." Barricade ordered.

Bumblebee obeyed instantly. He was obviously hoping to gain favor with his master after his misbehavior. It made Barricade smile.

When he could hear water running, Barricade entered his pet's quarters and selected a pair of shorts, underclothes, and a shirt for his pet. He then went into the bathroom and placed them on the sink. Bumblebee had even put his dirty clothes in the hamper.

Barricade left for the bedroom.

Twenty minutes later, Bumblebee stumbled out of the bedroom and halted at the foot of Barricade's bed, where his master sat, swirling a cube of energon slowly.

It was excruciating, waiting for Barricade to acknowledge him. But he waited patiently, staring in anticipation. What kind of punishment would he have for him?

Finally, the Decepticon interrogator looked up at the frail-looking teen.

"Do you promise to never do something like this again, ever?"

"Yes. I promise!"

"You promise what?"

"I promise, master! I promise! I'll never disobey ever again!"

Barricade smirked triumphantly. He had won over his pet. Bumblebee had tried to pretend to obey, but he hadn't quite sounded sincere. This time, he was.

"Bring me the box on top of the dresser."

Bumblebee did so eagerly.

Barricade took his time opening the box, and made it difficult for Bumblebee to see what it was. After admiring it for another moment, he brought it up to eyelevel.

It was a collar, and it took Bumblebee's breath away.

"Come here. Kneel."

Bumblebee knelt next to his master, and looked up hopefully. Barricade leaned down and clicked the collar in place around Bumblebee's neck. It locked.

"See what happens when you take it easy?"


	2. Optimus Prime

A/N: I am so pathetic. Three positive reviews and I make a sequel that I never intended to make to a one shot. It's actually been a long time since I wrote the original. Enjoy, I suppose.

Take it Easy: Optimus Prime

"Ah, look. It seems Barricade has finally broken Bumblebee." Megatron chuckled. "Poor youngling always was too high strung. It's nice to see him finally relax."

"Hmph." Optimus agreed silently. As much as he hated to admit it, it was nice to see Bumblebee finally relax after years of captivity. It was a wonder Barricade didn't rust from stress.

"I remember when you broke. It was startlingly easy…"

-x-

"Prime!" Megatron yelled at the thrashing mech he had pinned down. "Stop squirming, Primus slag you!" he tried (and mostly failed to succeed in) pinning the Autobot leader with his weight.

"Why should I?" Optimus shouted back. "You had my mechs killed if they didn't submit! You didn't even give me that choice! Or my main officers! I plan on making my slavery pit for you!"

"BECAUSE WE RESPECT YOU."

That made Optimus fall still. "Say again?"

"We, being my troops and I, think too much of you to kill you. Starscream and his trine took your slagging twins, the Constructicons Ratchet and Wheeljack, Barricade has Bumblebee. Noticing a pattern there?" Megatron snapped. "Soundwave took Red Alert and Blaster, I got you."

"Shouldn't you have given us the option of death, and not my other soldiers, then?"

"Bah, and waste talent and skill like all of yours? Not in a million vorns."

"I don't…. I don't understand."

"Your foot soldiers got put down because if they wouldn't submit, then it'd be too much effort to tame them." Megatron explained, calmer now that Prime was no longer fighting against him.

"Now, for the last time. Ingest a cube of energon, please. I did not go to the effort of trying to keep you in one piece only for you to die of starvation." The proud silver mech nearly begged.

"…" Optimus took the cube gently and drained it in one gulp.

Megatron smirked.

-x-

"That was the tipping point. I didn't break then, only bent enough to see your words for what they meant." Optimus Prime corrected.

"Oh really? Then when did you really break?" Megatron grinned.

"You should remember it."

"Oh…?"

-x-

"Optimus, no matter how hard I try to convince you I won't hurt you, you still jump and flinch when I raise my hand. Why?" the silver mech asked randomly, watching Optimus sitting on the floor, while he sat in his favorite chair.

"Hard-wired programming is tough to break." Optimus replied absently, shifting to a mildly more comfortable sitting position.

"Is that also why you refuse to call me 'Master'?" the Decepticon leader asked smugly.

"Perhaps."

"Say it." Megatron ordered.

"Say what, precisely? 'It'?"

"Don't act like a sparkling. It's just a word."

"It's a word that means something, and I disagree with how you think you fit the description." The ex-Autobot leader still had not looked at Megatron, and continued reading. (Not really, he was only pretending to read. He was bust trying to come up with retaliation in the way of words.)

"I'm a good Master! I feed you properly, I give you basic rights, you have a set of rules, and appropriate punishments for when you break them! How am I not a good master?"

"Well, for one, a master should be able to make his pet call him by a proper title."

"Like what?"

"You know exactly what."

"I've forgotten. Refresh my memory."

"You are terrible at this."

"At what?"

"Trying to trick someone into saying a certain thing."

"Oh, like you're much better!"

"I bet I can make you say bitch."

"What's a bitch?"

"Exactly."

Megatron growled in rage while Optimus laughed quietly. He stopped when his so-called master stood up suddenly. Optimus eye him warily.

"What do you know about being a master anyway? Have you ever been one?"

"Well, no-"

"Are you into that kind of interfacing, cause I'll tell you right now, I'm not."

"slag no!"

"then who are you to tell your master how he should be?"

Optimus was silent. He had no reply.

Megatron sat back in his chair.

"come here, pet." He ordered quietly. Optimus went to stand. "do not stand."

Optimus crawled, humiliated, even though he knew he should have disobeyed rather than take this. To his annoyance, disobeying only occurred to him as he reached the foot of Megatron's throne-like chair.

"address me."

"megatro-" smack. Optimus was startled. He actually hit him. He hadn't hit him since before the Decepticons won by storm.

"wrong. Try again."

"m-master…"

"ah, very good, pet."

-x-

"Huh. Later than I thought. You were seriously pretending that entire time?"

"yes."

"that was a great day, I remember."

"of course, you got me to say 'Master' for the first time."

"heh. Yeah, that was the highlight of the day."

Optimus just shook his head, and followed close at the heels of his Master, Lord Megatron.


End file.
